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Ravener Guide

Ravener is a melee bloodline with an up-in-your-face playstyle. Her skillset makes her an anti-ranged single-target sustained damage machine. While she is fragile, she has a few abilities that can be used defensively OR offensively, which just further cements her role in BLC as an annoying pest that just won’t leave you alone.

[M1] Spike Strike

Spike Strike is a quick-casting M1 that deals an increasing amount of damage with each consecutive hit. If the target has the Electrify debuff, the M1 strike consumes it and stuns the target, allowing you to get in another free hit or two. The energy gain is abysmal, however, and even with the quick cast, it’s a little below average.

Ravener’s fast M1 is what makes her so annoying in a 1v1 situation, which is why you should always try to isolate an enemy target before focusing them down. Spam away with M1 and use your abilities when you can.

When to use Spike Strike?

All the time. It’s your main source of DPS.

[M2] Thunder Strike

Thunder Strike is a projectile ability that deals moderate damage and incapacitates the target. The incap duration is proportional to how far the projectile was thrown. Damage breaks the cap. This is Ravener’s only incap (other than the M1 secondary effect), so save it for when you really need it.

This ability can be used in a few ways. One, set up combos with your other abilities or your teammates. Two, as an escape mechanism when your Assail and Crude Strike are on cooldown. Three, as an interrupt for enemy casting. Four, as part of a burst damage combo.

When to use Thunder Strike?

When you want to set up a combo.

When you want to interrupt an enemy’s cast time or channel.

When an enemy is focusing you or your teammate.

When you need burst damage.

[Space] Assail

Assail is one of Ravener’s two mobility spells. She jumps at the target location, applying the Swiftness buff on herself and the Electrify debuff on all enemies near her when she lands. Electrify slows down the movespeed of the target while Swiftness increases Ravener’s own movespeed.

The Electrify debuff is what grants her M1 the secondary stun effect, so you should combo these two abilities whenever you can, making Assail more of an offensive initiator than an escape spell. Use the Assail > M1 combo when you need to stun an enemy, such as when they’re channeling an ultimate. The fast jump animation and the quick M1 animation means they’ll have little to no time to dodge it.

Assail also has an EX version, which jumps at the target location and applies Swiftness on herself. While Ravener has the Swiftness buff, her next M1 attack will inflict considerable bonus damage and apply the Wasted debuff on the target. Wasted drastically reduces their damage done. Great for 1v1s and burst damage combos.

When to use Assail?

When the enemy team is clumped together.

When an enemy is trying to run and has no outs remaining.

When you want to initiate a combo.

When you need to escape.

When to use Assail EX?

When your team is focusing an enemy.

When you need burst damage.

[Q] Spinning Strike

Spinning Strike is the main reason why Ravener is so deadly against ranged bloodlines. When casted, she gains bonus movespeed and spins around, dealing damage over time to nearby enemies and reflecting all projectiles that hit her. The damage isn’t all that much, however, so stick to using Spinning Strike as a reflector.

The obvious use for Spinning Strike is to deflect big bad projectiles like Gunner’s Execute and Harbinger’s Shadow Bolt. However, if your team is focusing an enemy, get between him and his healer and spin! It’ll deflect heal projectiles, which maximizes your team’s damage on the target.

Spinning Strike also has an EX version, which still spins but does NOT reflect projectiles. Instead, Ravener gains a massive movespeed bonus, turns immaterial, deals more damage per second and applies Electrify on nearby enemies. This is what you want to use if you’re focusing an enemy and want to combo: more damage and an Electrify-buffed M1 hit.

When to use Spinning Strike?

Reflect heals away from an enemy.

Reflect big bad projectiles away from you or your teammate.

Spin as you escape for the bonus movespeed.

When to use Spinning Strike EX?

When you’re already focusing an enemy and need Electrify.

When the enemy team is clumped together.

When you need to walk through enemies (to escape).

[E] Crude Strike

Crude Strike dashes towards the target location. If Ravener collides with an enemy, she’ll punt him into the air and away from her, dealing damage. The distance of the punt is proportional to the distance she dashed. This is such a simple ability yet so disruptive. Using it at the right time in the right direction will completely throw off the enemy team’s rhythm.

The best use of Crude Strike is when the enemy has no outs remaining and you punt them over a wall or gap. They’ll be forced to walk all the way back, giving you a precious advantage for quite a while. For maximum effect, punt the enemy healer. If you can’t, just punt the enemy that your team isn’t focusing.

Also, you can use it as an escape. The dash doesn’t go very far, but it can put distance between you and an enemy. On the other hand, if you dash towards an enemy without hitting them, you can use Crude Strike as a gap-closer.

When to use Crude Strike?

When an enemy has no outs remaining, punt them over a wall.

Punt away the enemy healer.

When you need to escape.

[R] Spike Shield

Spike Shield places a barrier on a targeted teammate (or yourself). While shielded, the target can still move around and takes reduced damage for its duration. The shield deals damage in an AoE to nearby enemies whenever the target is hit by direct damage and the shield breaks after being hit 4 times.

Though this spell is a “shield,” it is highly offensive due to the AoE damage return and the ability to keep moving while shielded. Throw this on yourself right before you jump into a fight and it’ll deal some serious damage, especially if you are in the middle of multiple enemies. But if a teammate is being pummeled, don’t hesitate to throw it on them.

When to use Spike Shield?

Right before you jump into combat.

When you or your teammate is being focused.

[F] Earth Crush

Ravener jumps towards the mouse cursor two times (different location each time), dealing severe damage to all enemies nearby and inflicting them with the Electrify debuff. Smashing an enemy twice with this ultimate will instantly give you an edge in the fight. Smashing the whole enemy team twice will likely win you the round right then.

If you’re low on health, you can use the first jump to smash the enemies, then re-aim the second jump to get back out of the fight. However, because Earth Crush inflicts Electrify, it’s best that you use it when you can keep fighting because it’ll give you a couple of stun-charged M1s.

When to use Earth Crush?

When the enemy team is clumped together.

When an enemy has no outs remaining.

When an enemy has little or no Recovery HP.

Basic Tactics, Techniques, and Combos

Pressure, pressure, pressure. Ravener has one job and one job only: to put tremendous amounts of pressure on the enemy team. M1 spam. Throw Thunder Strikes at the healer. Punt away stray enemies. Reflect all their projectiles right back at them. Do whatever it takes. If you aren’t pressuring, you have nothing else to offer your team.

Don’t be Rambo. Paradoxically, Ravener needs to be all up in the enemy’s face but she cannot be Rambo. If you run in with maces a-blazing, you’re going to die in the blink of an eye. So before you go in and pressure the enemy, wait for the right opportunity! And for all that is holy, if you don’t have any Recovery HP remaining, run back and get healed up before you jump in again.

How to escape as Ravener. Though Ravener’s main job is to harrass the enemy so much that they try to escape, if she’s being focused, she has no choice but to escape herself. The first thing you want to do is Crude Strike: if you can hit the enemy over a gap or wall, good; otherwise, you can use it to dash in the opposite direction. If Crude Strike fails, then use Assail as a last resort.

Single-target damage combo. If the enemy has no outs remaining and is close to death, use this burst combo: Crude Strike > Thunder Strike > Assail > M1, M1, M1. Be very careful with this combo, though, because it uses all of your outs and leaves you extremely vulnerable.

Another single-target damage combo. This combo is a little harder to pull off and takes more time, but leaves you with an out in case you need to escape: Assail > M1, M1 > Spinning Strike EX > M1, M1 > Thunder Strike > M1, M1, M1. With this combo, the first two pairs of M1s are charged with Electrify for the stun.